Thursday, July 14, 2005

Information for Parents and the Curious.

Just like those who commented on my previous post about the search term that hit my blog where someone was looking for "baby porn 6yo", I was horrified. I had a very teenage illusion of "It couldn't happen to me" what I put on my blog isn't interesting to that sort of perverse element. They may not have been interested, but the search engines brought them to me nonetheless.

I wouldn't have even known about it, if I hadn't recently installed the"BlogPatrol" counter at the bottom of my blog. I've had Site Meter since January, but you have to pay a subscription fee to view the search terms that bring folk to your webpages. It's free with Blog Patrol for the first 25 terms. I'd gotten used to seeing several search term hits for "Paula Radcliffe Pee" since I had a wee post about it ages ago (only got one comment though) and it seemed there's loads of folks interested in a woman taking a pee in public. *shrug* I feel so blessed-boringly normal now. When I saw that someone was on my blog looking for kiddy-porn I felt sick. Guilty too - have I exposed my family to this?

When I started putting pictures on my blog it was after a lot of thought, a lot of discussion with Husband and we finally decided that it would be good for my family in the USA to have the ability to pop into our lives whenever they wanted, so we would have photos too. We decided to never put nude pictures up (save for myself but that was tame)so no girls in the bathtub covered in bubbles or bathing suits, bare bottom potty training shots; those can stay in my own collection. But, "they" still came looking, didn't they. Invited, but unwanted.

I used the FBI website to look for information. I highly recommend you look at the site, it's fantastically informative. The section on Crimes Against Children has loads of information, advice and history of the initiative. You can also view the national and state sex offenders list to keep yourself informed.

I don't want to stop blogging, or run scared from this. I like having a blog, I like the friends I've made. They're the ones who are in the wrong, and I'm not going to punish or deny myself this one pleasure. I'll keep being careful of what I put up, and keep a close look on what comes my way.

I'm going to look at what Scotland Yard has to offer the UK, and if I find similarly important information/links, I'll post an update.

Update: In the UK you can make complaints to the Internet Watch Foundation. There's a sexoffender register but I can't find how to see who's on it; I'm not even sure it's available to the public which kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?